All Jazzed Up!

On my drive from work today I couldn't wait to get home and start blogging. I'm learning so much about myself and my body through this new way of eating. It's turning into a fun little journey for me.  And now I'm lucky enough to share it with the world wide web. Afterall, I don't think most of my friends want to hear about all of the intricacies of my (re)new(ed) appreciation for food but maybe someone else is as into this as I am.

I imagine you're wondering what about healthy eating has got me so jazzed. Was it giving up meat that made me feel great? Actually no, well not just that alone. I decided to become a vegetarian without a ton of forethought. That's just sorta my style and so as a result, I'm slowly (but faster now) learning what it means to be a healthier vegetarian. It's really all just a part of a larger evolutionary journey that I hope will allow me to connect with my truest self. The whole natural me alert, alive, feeling, smelling and sensing all the great things within and around me.



The turning point was reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book Eat to Live. (Or rather listening to the audiobook, at least initially.) As I started to fully understand what it could potentially mean to my health and vitality in eating enough nutrient-dense foods, I was inspired to at the very least give this guy's plan a shot. With the extra 10 pounds or so that I was carrying sense becoming a vegetarian, it was an easy decision to try a new way of eating that didn't require me to eat meat, promised to provide me with nutrients I needed and as superficial as it may sound, I'd quickly watch the pounds fall off.

And that was that. I bought a hard copy of the book and began reviewing the recipes to figure out how and whether I could become a Nutritarian. The basic rule of thumb was to eat lots of fruits and veggies and no sugar, salt, oil or animal products. At least in the first 6 weeks so that my body could make the adjustment. Okay, maybe I can handle that! I was already down to just the occasional eggs and cheese and had pretty much made the move from dairy milk to soy or almod milk so that wasn't going to be the issue. The issue for me was, and is, not eating sugar. I absolutely love, wait let me make this clearer, I LOVE dessert! Decadent, rich, cozy, yummy desserts that over the last few years I've come to crave after each meal. And yet, with all of that said, dessert has hardly been an issue. I eat so much ripe, sweet fruit each day that I've never had a physical craving. (A few mental cravings but nothing physical.) And the vegetables part? It's been a learning experience. I started and have largely kept to eating the veggies I already enjoyed such as broccoli, mixed baby greens and spinach. I eat them often and in large amounts. My meals for the first week or two included 2-3 apples and a banana for breakfast followed by a box or bag of pre-washed greens which I refer to as my lunch salad. For dinner, I ate more salad and as time has passed I've transitioned from sauteed spinach or broccoli (often with mushrooms and Braggs Liquid Aminos) to some of Dr. Fuhrman's more intricate recipes. All along the way more portions were large. What was once a side of vegetables has become a soup bowl of cooked veggies or a large mixing bowl's worth of fresh greens.

The results: At first my stomach didn't seem as swollen and then my jeans fit a little looser and and now my waste is trimming. In just three weeks, I've been gobbling down all the green vegetables and fruit that I can stand feeling stomach full and sweet tooth satisfied all along the way and yet my pants are looser and I've got more energy that I've felt in months regardless of the number of Starbucks trips I've taken. How cool is that?!

So now I'm hooked. Looking leaner, feeling more alert and enjoying the new challenge that is cooking without salt, sugar or oil. And that's what's got me jazzed! Good, healthy food!